Kelowna’s Mission Group took another step toward making a formal application for Aqua, the lakefront residential community being proposed for the company’s 6.5 acre property in the Mission Creek neighbourhood, by holding a second public open house, Sept. 22, at the Hotel Eldorado.
The Aqua plan is for a multi-phase residential (townhome and condominium) community comprised of approximately 350 homes and will bring with it a new public connection between the Mission Greenway and the lakefront, the construction of a new section of the lakefront public boardwalk (an extension of the boardwalk that currently fronts Manteo Resort and the Hotel Eldorado), naturalization and remediation of the lakefront and upgrades to the public boat launch and surrounding road and parking infrastructure.
Aqua Marine Valet, which has become an important part of Kelowna’s on-land marine infrastructure, will remain as part of the long term plan for the property and the boat storage and valet operations will be reconfigured and accommodated indoors.
The first community open house was held in mid-August. “We presented our architectural theme along with several scenarios for building heights, which we asked the community to comment on”, says Luke Turri, development manager for Mission Group Homes. “The purpose of today’s [Sept. 22] meeting is to provide the community with our response to what we heard from them.”
The August meeting attracted a large turnout and featured information on all aspects of the project including three design scenarios, between 12 and 24 storeys in height. The community responded on the design questions, both on overall heights and on the design of the Aqua Marine Valet structure, which will be a highly visible component of the project. “We heard a lot of excitement from the community but also concerns about how the boat storage facility would fit into the neighbourhood and how parking and traffic in the neighbourhood will be managed,” Turri said.
With today’s feedback in hand, the next step for the Mission Group will be a formal application to the City of Kelowna, expected to happen in early October. The community will have additional opportunities for input through the city’s review process.